Family Plan
A line of U of A engineers honor their ancestors by giving back.
Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. M. Ted Wong presents Hom Moon Jung’s Congressional Gold Medal at a December 2021 ceremony in Scottsdale, Arizona, to Moon Hom, left, and Paul Hom.
Photos provided by Hom Family
When Hom Moon Jung graduated from the University of Arizona College of Engineering in 1937, he began a family legacy. His three sons – Moon Hom ’74, Paul Hom ’77 and Don Hom ’78 – also completed U of A engineering degrees, as have two grandsons, Chris Hom ’08 and Ted Hom ’08. Four other grandchildren have earned U of A degrees in other fields.
Now, Paul and Moon Hom have endowed the HOM MOON JUNG Memorial Scholarship to ensure more future engineers can work in their chosen field.
Teaching Service and Generosity
Hom Moon Jung emigrated from China when he was a teenager. He studied mining engineering at U of A, and his friend Soleng Tom studied aerospace engineering. The roommates took turns working and going to school each semester to support one another. The family believes Hom Moon Jung was one of the first Chinese Americans to graduate from the College of Engineering.
After graduating and working briefly as a mine surveyor, Hom Moon Jung served in the U.S. Army during World War II, along with his two brothers. After the war, he opened a grocery store in Tucson – T&T Market – with Tom.
The Hom family always visits the memorial bench honoring Hom Moon Jung and his family friend, William Bon Sam Tom, when they come to campus. Seated from left to right are Ted, Chris and Jaron Hom. Standing from left to right are Moon, Paul, Ashley and Yan Hom.
Hom Family
“The political and social environments were very different than today, and he was not able to find an engineering job,” says Paul Hom.
Later, Hom Moon Jung opened Desert Trailer Market, which became the backdrop for his sons’ childhoods and the place where he taught them about the value of work and helping others. The market was on West Miracle Mile just east of Interstate 10, and the family’s home was attached.
“Running the stores took 14 or 15 hours of hard work every day from our father and mother,” says Paul Hom.
Hom Moon Jung extended credit to those who were struggling and fed those with nothing to eat, his sons say. He also learned conversational Spanish to better communicate with the store’s many Hispanic customers, says Moon Hom.
The three sons agree that their parents’ work ethic and generosity instilled those same values in them.
Hom Moon Jung also impressed upon his sons a respect for duty through his service in World War II. In 2021, his sons accepted a Congressional Gold Medal on his behalf. Congress issued medals to Chinese and Chinese American veterans of the war in recognition of their heroism and the discrimination they faced in building thriving communities in the U.S.
“It meant quite a bit to us,” says Paul Hom.
Family Unity
Hom Moon Jung passed away in 1973, and the family kept the store open for another three years while the three sons pursued their engineering degrees, Moon Hom in mining engineering and Paul and Don Hom in mechanical engineering.
During that period, Paul Hom took a break from school to focus on the store. In addition to needing time to study, the brothers faced difficult competition from chain stores.
These experiences later moved Moon and Paul Hom to help mechanical, mining and chemical engineering students access education. Their scholarship, when possible, will go to students who are working while attending school. And it will honor their father in perpetuity.
Both college supporters, Moon and Paul Hom first considered honoring their father’s legacy at U of A around 25 years ago when they sponsored a memorial bench in memory of Hom Moon Jung and his family friend, William Bon Sam Tom, together with the Tom family. The brothers grew up with the Tom family, who also owned a grocery store. Four of the five Tom children also earned engineering degrees. For Don Hom, growing up with the Toms encouraged him to pursue his engineering education.
‘It was good to have family close by, as both of our families were in Phoenix. ... We rushed the same fraternity and have many good friends from our time in college.’
All three believe their father would be proud to know his sons and grandsons have completed engineering degrees. Paul Hom’s son, Chris, and Moon Hom’s son, Ted, both graduated with chemical engineering degrees. Chris Hom is a process engineering team lead at Chevron. Ted Hom is a quality engineering manager for GE HealthCare.
Attending the university with his cousin was a great experience for Chris Hom.
“It was good to have family close by, as both of our families were in Phoenix,” he says. “We rushed the same fraternity [Phi Kappa Tau] and have many good friends from our time in college.”